New Turkish ‘smart’ card coming

New Turkish ‘smart’ card coming

New smart identity cards will be issued to nearly 2 million citizens in Turkey at the start of June 2013. The new ID card is intended to facilitate banking transactions, transportation and other activities of daily life.

“If you wish, you can draw money from the cash machine, if you want to buy medical services, you can do it with a smart identity card,” Industry Minister Nihat Ergün said. The new cards have been successfully tested in the northwestern region of Bolu.

“When you are entering a stadium, you can use this card. Whoever enters a stadium is recorded. Today, more than 700,000 people are in courts due to problems of identity fraud. There are several credit cards obtained by false identities. Several documents are registered at notaries but even the notary is not sure if they are genuine or fake. Now, the notaries want this law to go into effect.”

Given that Kimliks are notoriously easy to replicate, it is possible, although not yet mentioned, that card holders in the North may also be issued the new ID cards some time in the future.